Automatic stamp-delivery machine



H. THUN.

AUTOMATIC STAMP nsuvenv MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1920. 1 42? 1 ,3 6, Patented Aug. 29', 1922..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. THUN.

AUTOMATIC STAMP DELIVERY MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1 920.

hem-m Patented Aug. 29, 1922 3 SHEETS SHEET 2.

H. THUN.

AUTOMATIC STAMP DELIVERY MACHINL' APPLICATION Hui!) DEC. 6, 1920.

1,42%136. Patented Aug. 29, 1922* 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

earner HER-MANN THUN, 0F ESSEN-Olll-THE-RUHB,GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T0 FRIED.KBUIP AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, OF ESSEFFON-THE-RUHE, GERMIANY.

AUTOMATIC STAME-DEL-IVERY MACHINE.

Application filed December 6, 1920.

T 0 ctZZ to how. it may concern Be it known that I, TTERMANN TEUN,residing. at Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, a citizen of the GermanRepublic, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inAutomatic Stamp-Delivery Machines (for which I have filed an applicationin Germany July 1, 1919), 01 which the following is a specification.

The subject matter of the invention is an automatic stamp deliverymachine which is capable as required, either of delivering anunmoistened stamp or providing a thing to be posted with a stamp.

On the drawing an example of construction of the subject matter of theinvention is shown. On this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the device, some parts beingomitted,

Fig. 2 is the same section as Fig. 1 with a different position of theindividual parts,

Fig. 3 a plan view on a larger scale of a part of the device,

.Fig. 4; is a part of Fig. 1 on a larger scale,

Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 4, partly in section and with certainparts omitted, and

Fig. 6 is a part of Fig. 4 with certain elements in different positions.

In a casing A a shatit B is mounted which can only be turnedclockhandwise after the insertion of a specific coin in a slot providedfor that purpose, the turning being effected by a motor, which is notshown. On the shaft 13 there is mounted a disc C, provided with twocurved grooves o and 0 A. bolt 65 engages in the groove 0 the said boltbeing fixed to a bar D, pivoting about a fixed pin 0: The groove 0 is sodesigned that when the disc C is in the angular position shown on Fig. 1a rotation of the shaft- B clockhandwise causes the bar D first to pivotin the opposite direction until the highest pointof the bolt (Z isreached and afterwards to return to its original position. On the freeend or" the bar D a connecting rod E is joined to which one end of atwo-armed lever F is connected by pin joint. The two armed lever Fispivotally mounted on a fixed pin o The other end of the lever F isshaped as a fork f and embraces a bolt which is mounted on a spindle Gcarrying a stop collar 9 The spindle G is guided in a tube I-l slidablein a stationary cylin- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11 29, 1922.

Serial No. 428,800.

der a and carrying on its lower end the tear-ollpunch 71. In the pathofthe tear-off punch It lies the end, shaped like a hook t of a clamp iwhich is mounted on a stirrup J so that it can rotate about an axis ly-ving in the plane of the drawing and is controlled by the gripper (notshown). The stirrup J can slide on a fixed rod of against the action ofa spring i A little way above the hook i a strip of stamps a ends, beingcoiled up on a rotatable stamp, roll a. The stamp-strip a can be seizedby a twopart gripper 7, 8, and be drawn into the path of the tear-01fpunch M. The two parts of the gripper 7, 8, are mounted on the free endsof two levers 12, which swing on two co-axial pins and are acted upon bytwo springs 11. The gripper is also connected as will now be describedwith the lever F. On one end of the bolt 9 engaged by the fork P, (Fig.1), is mounted a down-.

wardly d' ected controlling rod 2, (Fig. 5), which carries a roller 1 onits lower end. By means of said roller, rod 2 bears on one arm of anoscillatory two-armed lever 8, acted upon by a spring 21 and providedwith a nose 24. The other arm of the lever 3 is provided with aset-screw 5, which bears against a lug of a two-armed lever, 6, alsopivotally mounted and connectedto lever 3 by a spring 1, the ends ofwhich engage the arm of lever 33, carrying set-screw 5 and one arm oflever 6. In the free end of the other arm of lever 6 is mounted a bolt17, which is provided with a recess 23, of the shape shown particularlyin Fig. 6. To the bolt 17 are pivoted two links 9, the free ends ofwhich are pivoted to the two parts of the gripper 7, 8. On the pivot pinof the gripper is also mounted to swing a latch member 15, in which iscut a groove 22, of the shape shown in the drawing, to receive the bolt17, and which is connected to said bolt by a spring 16. The groove 22isprovided with a nose 25. On the frame A are also mounted two fixedabutments 13 and 19, and a roller 20, which co-acts with thelatch member15 and the action of which will be later described. Below the stampstrip a a water pot a is provided being shut off by a stopper a whichsucks up the moisture. Against the stopper a there lies a wetting roller76 which is rotarily mounted on one end of a two-arm lever 70 Thetwo-arm lever K. pivoting under friction around a fixed pin a and lieswith itsfree end on a pin [a under the action of a spring (not shown),the said pin in being mounted on the lever K. One arm, 70 of the lever Kprojects into the path of two pins g and g which are mounted, on aconnecting rod G fixed to the bolt 9 The lower pin 9 in the positionshown in Fig. 1 of the different parts rests below against the arm 70'.The upper pin is distant from the lower one by an amount which is equalto the distance oi the stop collar g from the front face 01" the tube H,increased by the distance of the lower boui'iding surface of thetear-off punch. h from the inoistening roller 0 To the arm 01 the leverK a bolt is is providedwhich engages in a groove m of a guide rod M. Thelatter is pinjointed to one arm of a ti'vo-arm lever N which is mountedon a shaft N mountedin the casing A. On this shaft a comb-shaped feelerN is also inounted. To the second arm 01: the lever ii a tierod Pis'pinjointed, the otherend 01"- which is jointed to a lever Q. Thislatter is pivotally mounted on the pin a Besides this there is mountedpivotally on the pin a a two arin lever B against theone arm of which,connected with the lever Q by a spring 9 a shoulder g of the lever Q,lies. The other arm of the lever B carries a bolt r which ei'igages inthe curved groove 0 on the disc C. The groove 0 is so designed that inthe angular position of the disc C, shown in Fig. 1, a rotationoilfthe'disc C clookhandwise causes the lever R to pivot in they oppositedirection up to the highest position of the bolt 14 and afterwards toreturn toits original position. Finally on the pin a a toothed segment Tis pivotally mounted. This toothed segment T carries a pin-t? whichprojects into the path of the lever Qand is distant. from the lat ter bya given amount inthe position of the parts shown by Fig. 1.

' ment T lies, under the action of a spring i againsta fixed pin a. Itmeshes with a pinion V which is coupled with a second toothed segment VThe latter meshes with I a rack e0 provided on a slideable table W.

The edge of the table W' which is on the left side of the drawing liesopposite the feeler N and, like the latter, is of coinb design inv I thecomb slots in the table. Below the table TV is a'funnel a lyingoppositeto the tear oft punchh i If it is required to'take from theabove de-" vice an unmoistened stamp, a coin corre- The toothed segputinto the slot provided. The shaft B and with it the disc 0 then rotateclockhandwise and, through theagency of the lever D, the

coniplished as follows: The lowering of the rod 2 has swung the lever 8in anti-clockwise direction against the pressure of spring 21, by meansof the roller 1. In this angular movement of lever '3, lever 6,connected therewith by spring l, takes part, so that italso turns aboutits axis in anti-clockwise direction. In the beginning of the swingingmovement of lever 6, pin 17 moves through the narrower part of groove22-oflatch member 15, and the gripper '7, 8, is accord ingly closed bythe links 9, and takes hold oi the stamp-strip a whereupon the levers 12take part in the movement of the lever 6 against the pressure of thesprings llQi/Vhen, in this movement, the lever 6 strikes against the lug13, the stamp-strip has been drawn out for the length oi one stamp.After the engagement ot lever 6 against lug 13, lever 3 turns alone inanti-clockwise direction and engages by its lug 24 against one of thelevers 1'2 and turns it in the same direction. The other lever 12 takespart in this move- D'IQHt and therefore the gripper '7, 8, opens againand releases the stamp-strip. During the opening of the gripper,thelatch member 15 moves in the direction of the arrow at, relatively tothe pin 17, held stationary by the high}, until the nose% has moved outof the .cess of the pin 17. As soon as this has taken place, said member15 moves into the latching position shown in Fig. 6, under the influenceof spring 16, in which said member is prevented from moving intheopposite direction to the "arrow 03, whereby they gsipper Z, 8, isprevented from closing too soon. W hen, in the further operation,

the rod 2 is a ain raised, all theparts,controlliiig the gripper 7, 8,return to their orig nal positions shown in F 1g. 4, under the influenceof the springs 21,11 and 1, and the roller 220, n which positions thelevers 12 bear onthe lugs 19 and the gripper 7, 8, is ready to againseize the end of the stampstrip During these movements, owing to theguidingo l the bolt r in the groove 0 the lever P has been rotatedanticlockhandwise. Under the action of the spring 9 the lever Q followsthe rotation and transmits the latter, but in the opposite direction,through the draw-rod. P to the lever N and conseeuently to the feeler N'The' latter pivots through the comb-slots in the table W. On therotation of the lever N the guide rod M slides, and after a short shiftthe left stop face of the slot m comes to lie against the bolt The leverit; is now rotated anticlockhandwise so that the moistening roller Z2moves out of the path of the tear-off punch ill. The ratios of gearingare so contrived that this takes place before the tear-off punch hastorn a stamp off. Before this latter takes place meanwhile the table IVhas also been shifted tothe right into the position shown by Fig. 2.This is brought about by the fact that in its rotation the lever Q comesto lie against the pin t and thereupon carries along with it the toothedsegment T. The rotation of the latter brings about, through the a encyof the pinion V, the toothed segment 1 and the rack w a shiftingmovement of the table W to the right. After the tearing off of the stampthe clamp i swings out and releases the stamp so that the latter fallsinto the funnel a and can be taken out (Fig. 2). On further rotation ofthe disc C the individual parts return again to their original position,namely, the toothed segment T and through it the table W, owing to theaction of the spring t and the stirrup J under the action of the spring71 If the thing to be posted, for instance the letter W is to beprovided with a stamp, the letter is thrust through the slot providedfor that purpose onto the table W in such a way that it overlies itscomb-slots. After the coin has been inserted there take place in thefirst instance the same movements as when taking out an unwetted stamp.But the feeler N is now unable to swing through the comb-slots of thetable W because it strikes against the letter Vi. From the moment of itsso striking (dotted line position on Fig. 1) the feeler l 2 and also theparts connected with it N M, P, Q, remain at rest, while the lever Rswings onwards under the action of the spring 9 The arrangement is such,however, that the feeler N strikes against the letter W shortly beforethe lever Q would come to lie against the pin 6 and the left stop faceof the slot m against the bolt is. Consequently the table W also remainsat rest and the lever K is. not influenced by the feeler N On thedescent of the tear-off punch 72, finally the pin 9 comes to lie againstthe arm k of the lever K. According to what has been explained abovethis takes place when. the stamp held between the hook i of the clamp iand the tear-off punch 72, and which has already been detached from thestamp strip a comes to lie against the moistening roller 70 On furtherdescent of the tear-off punch h the lever K is rotated.anticlockhandwise by the pin 9 the pin is sliding in the groove m In therotation of the lever K the m istening roller k passes under the stamp.and wets it. The moisten ing roller 70 finally passes out of the path ofthe tear-off punch when it approaches the letter Shortly aefore thetear-off punch 72. impinges on the letter W the clamp i swings out andreleases the stamp which is now firmly pressed by the tear-off punch 72,on to the letter. Ilereupon the several parts go back into theiroriginal position and the letter can again be taken out of the machineprovided with the desired stamp.

Claims:

1. In a stamp delivery machine, a driving element, a moistener, twosystems of connections interposed between said driving element and saidmoistener whereby when a letter to be posted has been introduced one ofsaid systems will move said moistener over the adhesive surface of thestamp while the other system keeps said moistener out of the path of thestamp to be issued when a letter is not inserted.

2. In a stamp delivery machine, a stamp supply, a tear-ofi punch, aletter support, a feeler cooperating with said letter support, amoistener in the path of said tear-off punch and means connecting saidfeeler to said moistener whereby when no letter is to be stamped saidmoistener is shifted out of the path of the tear-off punch.

3. In a stamp delivery machine a stampstrip supply, a tear-off punch, aletter support disposed beneath said punch, one end of, said supportbeing bifurcated, a combshaped feeler disposed adjacent to andcooperating with. said letter support, a mois toner in the path of saidtear-off punch and means whereby when said feeler is permitted to swingpast said letter support an operative connection is established betweensaid feeler and said moistener, to shift said moistener out of the pathof said tear-01f punch.

4. In a stamp delivery machine a stampstrip supply, a tear-off punch, aletter support, a feeler cooperating with said letter support and meansconnecting said feeler to said letter support whereby when said feelerswings through said letter support it is shifted out of the path of thetear-off punch.

'5. In a stamp delivery machine a stamp strip supply, a tear-off punch,a shiftable letter support, a feeler associated with said lettersupport, an arm positively connected to said feeler for operating thesame, a member positively connected to said letter support for shiftingthe same, a driving element and arm positively connected thereto, asecond arm interposed between the feeler arm and said driving arm andresiliently connected to said driving arm and a pin projecting from saidletter support shifting member into the path of said second arm,substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a stamp delivery machine of the class described a stamp-stripsupply, a tear-off punch for detaching stamps, a feeler, a drivingelement provided with a pair of cam grooves, means controlled by one ofsaid cam grooves and positively connected to said tear-off punch forcontrolling theisame and means controlled by the other Oiii said camgrooves and resiliently connected to said leelei' for controlling; thesame.

7 In a stamp delivery machine a stamp supply, a tear-off punch forengaging said stamps, a letter support disposed beneath said tear-offpunch, one end of said letter support being,, formed with comb slots, acomb-shaped feeler disposed adjacent this end of the letter support, adriving element, a moistener and a system of operating; means wherebywhen said feeler is permitted to swing past said letter support, saidletter support will be' shifted and said moisture moved to inoperativeposition. 1

8. in a stamp delivery machine a stampstrip supply, a tear-ofi punch forengaging said stamps, a letter support disposed beneath said punch, afeeder associated there with, a moistener and means whereby the presenceof a letter on said support causes said moi stener to move over theadhesive surface of the stamp and said letter supportto remain in aposition beneathsaid punch.

The foregoing specification signed at Essen, Germany, this26th day ofJuly, 1920.

HERMANN THUN.

In presence of I Hans Gorrs ANN, JoHANN DEOKERS.

